How To Calculate Import Duty From China For FBA And Shopify

A $6.40 factory quote from China is not the number that hits your margin. To estimate import duty you need the product's HTS code, country of origin, customs value, and every tariff layer that applies on the entry date, then you still have to add fees that are not duty at all.

Use this guide the week before you approve the purchase order: gather the facts, classify the product, run the math, and separate duty from landed cost. Start with the import duty calculator once you have an HTS line and a customs value, then fold the result into the landed cost calculator.

This is a planning method, not a substitute for a licensed customs broker. Rates move, Section 301 lists get rewritten, and the rate that mattered when the container sailed may not be the rate on the entry date.

TL;DR

1. Collect description, origin, Incoterm, invoice total, freight, and weight on one shipment record before you look up any rate.
2. Find the full U.S. HTS code in the official HTS search, not a six-digit HS guess copied from another seller.
3. Treat duty as a stack: base MFN rate plus Section 301 and any other measures that apply on the entry date.
4. Multiply customs value by each applicable rate, then add MPF, HMF (ocean), and brokerage.
5. Fold duty into landed cost per unit before you set retail price or reorder.

Who This Guide Is For

You import finished goods from China for Amazon FBA, Shopify, WooCommerce, or a mix of those channels. The POs repeat, and you already know that "the supplier said DDP" is not the same as "duty is free."

If you already know the duty number and only need the full unit-cost picture, use the landed cost calculator.

If you sell the same goods on FBA, landed cost for Amazon FBA is the channel version of this problem.

Stay here when the missing number is the tariff itself.

What You Need Before You Look Up A Rate

A duty estimate is only as good as the shipment record behind it.

Vague labels like "kitchen accessory" or "plastic part" will not classify.

Collect these on one record before you open a calculator:

1. Plain-language description and main material
2. Unit price and commercial invoice total
3. Units, net weight, and carton count
4. Country of manufacture, not just the port it ships from
5. Incoterm (FOB, CIF, DDP, EXW) and freight method
6. Freight and insurance amounts if they are billed separately
7. Parts, accessories, batteries, electronics, or anything that changes intended use

For FBA, add the SKU and the planned fulfillment center.

Shopify and WooCommerce sellers should keep the same facts on the PO so the estimate can be compared to inventory cost later.

Incoterms change who writes the check, not whether duty exists.

Under DDP the supplier or forwarder may collect duties before delivery.

That is duty baked into the quote, usually with less visibility, not free duty.

Separate freight from goods value before you model the entry.

The freight cost estimator is enough for a planning split.

Save the invoice, packing list, description, origin, Incoterm, and freight quote on the shipment so you can audit the broker's entry summary later.

How to organize supplier invoices is the filing pattern that keeps those documents attached to the PO.

The HS And HTS Code Is The Whole Game

The HS code is the international heading shared across countries.

The U.S. HTS code adds digits that control classification and duty treatment for entries into the United States.

You cannot calculate import duty from China until that code is right.

A wrong code reaches the unit cost, which is why Amazon FBA duties and landed cost problems often start as classification mistakes.

Work classification in this order:

1. What the product does
2. What it is mostly made of
3. Whether it is finished, unfinished, or a set
4. The section and chapter notes that apply

Confirm the full U.S. HTS number and its unit of measure in the official HTS search.

Search several terms.

The first matching phrase is not automatically the right code.

Keep a short classification note on the SKU: function, material, and why you picked the heading.

That note is what you hand a broker, and what you recheck when the factory changes a spec.

Example: a molded-plastic storage item can sit under household articles, packing containers, or parts for something else depending on intended use, even when the resin is the same.

Do not copy an HTS code from another seller's listing.

Two products that look alike can differ in material, intended use, or included parts.

If classification moves real money on the PO, ask a licensed broker, or pursue a formal ruling, before the shipment leaves China.

SupplyAutomate will not classify the product for you.

It keeps the invoice and packing list on the purchase order so you are not reconstructing the duty estimate from a Downloads folder.

The Rate Is A Stack, Not One Percentage

Once you have the HTS line, read the base duty and every extra layer tied to the product or its Chinese origin.

A single "6.5%" in a calculator is often only the first layer.

The stack can include:

1. The standard MFN / NTR rate on the HTS line
2. Section 301 duties on covered Chinese goods
3. Section 232 on certain steel, aluminum, and other national-security lines
4. Chapter 99 provisions that add or change a tariff
5. Temporary measures in force on the entry date, not the sail date
6. Antidumping or countervailing duties on specific products

Match the full HTS number, not the first six digits.

Lists change while goods are on the water, so a calculator with last quarter's Section 301 rate can make a weak SKU look safe.

Flexport's Tariff Simulator is useful for stacking base duty, Section 301, Section 232, and Chapter 99 on an estimate.

It does not replace a broker, and it does not file the entry.

Do not confuse the tariff rate with the full import bill.

Merchandise Processing Fee, Harbor Maintenance Fee, brokerage, freight, and destination taxes sit outside the percentage next to the HTS line.

Work The Customs Value, Then The Duty

Basic ad valorem duty is:

Import duty = customs value × duty rate

The hard part is getting customs value right, then adding each tariff layer in the order the instructions require.

Valuation is not simply "whatever appears on the commercial invoice."

Assists, packing, royalties, commissions, and freight or insurance can change the appraised value depending on the terms.

FOB and CIF are not interchangeable.

Ask the broker how this entry should be valued.

Duty also comes in more than one shape:

1. Ad valorem: a percentage of customs value
2. Specific: a fixed amount per unit, kilo, or other measure
3. Compound: both

If several percentage tariffs apply, calculate each layer against the required customs value unless the text says otherwise.

Keep the math at SKU level when a container mixes headings.

One blended rate hides the SKU that carries the duty.

Invoice processing software helps when the commercial invoice and freight invoice arrive as separate files that both feed the estimate.

Worked Example: $12,800 On The Invoice, About $5,093 In Duty And CBP Fees

Use the same shape as other importer examples on this site.

2,000 units at a factory price of $6.40.

Commercial invoice $12,800 FOB.

Ocean freight $3,050.

Insurance $80.

If this entry is valued on a CIF-style basis for planning, customs value is:

$12,800 + $3,050 + $80 = $15,930

Assume the HTS line is 6.5% MFN and the goods are also under a 25% Section 301 action.

Those rates are an illustration only.

Your heading will differ, and you must confirm rates on the entry date.

MPF and HMF figures follow CBP's published FY2026 user fees.

Check the CBP user fee table before you reuse the bounds, because they adjust.

Without the Section 301 layer, duty plus those two fees is about $1,111.

The 25% layer is usually the whole conversation for China-origin consumer goods.

Per unit, before brokerage and trucking, duty and CBP fees are about $2.55 on the 2,000-unit PO.

If 30 units fail inspection, that stack still has to be carried by 1,970 sellable units.

Put the same shipment through the landed cost calculator.

Duty is one line.

Pricing needs the rest of the inbound stack.

Duty Is Not Landed Cost

Landed cost is what it takes to get sellable inventory to the fulfillment center, 3PL, or warehouse.

Build it in layers:

1. Commercial invoice
2. International freight and insurance
3. Base duty
4. Extra China or product tariffs
5. MPF and HMF
6. Brokerage, port, inspection, and trucking
7. Any destination tax that is a true cost for your situation

Divide by sellable units, not the PO quantity.

Damaged stock, samples, and components you cannot sell still have to go somewhere, and dividing by ordered units overstates margin.

Shopify sellers can carry the same stack into how to calculate Shopify landed cost.

FBA sellers should also read how to calculate Amazon FBA landed cost.

Mixed containers need an allocation rule.

How to allocate freight cost across multiple SKUs and the landed cost formula cover that step.

Compare the estimate to the entry summary and the broker invoice.

If the final figure is high, check the HTS code first, then customs value, tariff layers, freight, and unit count.

That order finds the error faster than changing the retail price and hoping.

Duty also belongs in your profit math.

Best Amazon FBA profit calculator tools shows why fee-only calculators miss this stack.

SupplyAutomate will not file your Form 7501.

It keeps the commercial invoice, packing list, and duty bill on the same PO so the $5,093 does not live in someone else's inbox.

FAQ

How Do I Calculate Import Duty From China?

Identify the HTS code and Chinese origin.

Read base duty, Section 301 coverage, and any other measure in force on the entry date.

Multiply the customs value by each applicable rate, or apply the specific or compound rule on the HTS line.

Add MPF, HMF if the shipment is ocean, and brokerage.

That is the duty-and-fee estimate.

Landed cost still needs freight and the rest of the inbound stack.

What Is The HS Code For My Product?

It depends on function, material, construction, and condition.

A product name is not enough.

Search the U.S. HTS, compare nearby headings, and read the notes.

If the result moves a container's profit, ask a broker before you use the code to price or file.

Are China Tariffs Added To The Normal Duty Rate?

Often yes, when the product is on a covered action.

Section 301 is the usual extra layer for China-origin goods.

Section 232 and Chapter 99 can apply too.

Check the full HTS number and the entry date in sources like USTR tariff actions and a current simulator such as Flexport's Tariff Simulator.

Do not assume a calculator's base rate includes every layer.

Does Import Duty Include Shipping?

Duty is charged on customs value.

Shipping may sit inside that value or next to it, depending on the Incoterm and valuation rules.

Ask the broker how invoice total, Incoterm, and freight lines should be treated for this entry.

For pricing, track freight as its own line even when it is part of the landed-cost total.

What Is The Difference Between Import Duty And Landed Cost?

Import duty is the tariff on the goods.

Landed cost is duty plus product cost, freight, insurance, brokerage, fees, and the other costs of receiving sellable stock.

FBA, Shopify, and WooCommerce sellers should price and reorder on landed cost.

Duty alone leaves out most of the spend.

See what landed cost is and why it matters and how to calculate landed cost for imported products.

Confirm The Code Before You Wire The Deposit

Duty is a classification and a date, not a round percentage of the factory quote.

Write the description, origin, Incoterm, invoice, and freight quote on one record, then look up the HTS line before you wire the deposit.

The landed cost calculator will stack the rest once duty is known.

If last shipment's entry summary is already missing from the PO file, fix the record before you chase a better rate.

Related Guides

• What Is Landed Cost And Why It Matters
• How To Calculate Landed Cost For Imported Products
• Landed Cost Formula
• Landed Cost Per Unit
• How To Calculate Amazon FBA Landed Cost
• How To Calculate Shopify Landed Cost
• Landed Cost For Amazon FBA
• Allocate Freight Cost Across Multiple SKUs
• Creating A Purchase Order
• How To Organize Supplier Invoices
• Best Amazon FBA Profit Calculator Tools Compared 2026